


One Last Adventure

by musicals_musicals



Category: Tuck Everlasting - Miller/Tysen/Shear & Federle, Tuck Everlasting - Natalie Babbitt
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-07-02 13:48:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15797790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musicals_musicals/pseuds/musicals_musicals
Summary: On Winnie Foster's seventeenth birthday she runs into an old friend.





	One Last Adventure

Winnie dashed out the front door as soon as possible, today was her seventeenth birthday and her mother had refused to let her leave the house until they had celebrated, that was seven hours ago. She ran through the woods to the tree she had climbed when she first met Jesse. After the event six years ago Winnie decided to get to know the woods she had lived next to her whole life, sneaking out wasn’t preferable but her mother didn’t rethink her rules especially not when Winnie got “kidnapped”. She hoped she wouldn’t run into Jesse, she had made her decision years ago. She wouldn’t live forever she would just live.

Winnie finally found the tree she had climbed with the spring next to it.

_Croak_

She jumped and turning around to see that the frog she had given the water to was drinking from the spring. “Hey bud, how’s immortality?” Winnie asked kneeling down to let the frog jump into her hands. “I haven’t seen you since I fell out of that tree and you jumped onto my head” The frog looked unimpressed by her story.

_Reeunk_

“Rude” Winnie briefly debated that she was having a conversation with a frog but couldn’t bring herself to care. Treegap was boring. She carefully lowered the frog back onto the ground letting it hop off her hands.

“STOP!”

Winnie jumped to her feet and spun around to block the spring from view. “Who’s there?” Her eyes darted around the forest before landing on a figure running towards her. She squinted and took a step away from the spring. “Jesse?”

∞∞∞

Jesse had immediately booked it back to Treegap when he remembered that it was Winnie’s seventeenth birthday. He had continued to travel the world, stopping in New York and Chicago before making his way back to Vermont where Miles had become a teacher. He had six years to think and he had come to the realization that he couldn’t let Winnie stop her entire life. She was going to do amazing things, have kids and a life. He could find a different partner in crime, maybe he would track down that cat. He would make sure Winnie didn’t drink from the spring and they could have one last day together before he moved, he was thinking Greenland, far away and cold.

He jumped off the train and started the long walk to the forest. He decided to go to the spring so he could get his bearings, maybe he would track down the old cabin. Ma and Pa moved away years ago, said something about Maine and left to get some peace and quiet. He made his way around the forest, stopping to watch a squirrel, or pet a random cat. When he got close he noticed a figure with familiar red hair and a blue dress kneeling by the spring.

“STOP!”

Winnie turned around “Who’s there?” Jesse ran closer “Jesse!?”

“Hey…” Jesse stopped once he was closer

“You’re back!” Winnie exclaimed racing forward to hug him “It is you right”

“Of course” Jesse promised, before he remembered why he was there “You can’t drink from the spring”

Winnie nodded “I wasn’t going to” She sighed “A life of adventure sounds amazing, but I want to just have a life”

“I am so happy to hear that” Jesse said pulling Winnie into a tighter hug “But I am also here to ask you a question”

“You aren’t going to propose again, are you?” Winnie teased, sitting down on a rock and pulling Jesse down to sit next to her

“Okay, I admit that was weird. But it made the most sense at the time” Jesse admitted “Two teenagers traveling the world would attract less attention if they were married,” He pointed out “And you didn’t disagree”

Winnie rolled her eyes “I was eleven, I don’t think I even want to know all the stupid things you did when you were eleven” Jesse shut his mouth confirming her suspicions that he had done some pretty stupid things.

“Fine but I actually did have a question” he reminded her “How would you feel about one last night of adventure, before you move on with your life and I move to Greenland”

“Why would you move to Greenland?” Winnie asked. Jesse opened his mouth but she cut him off “Never mind I don’t want to know”

“Just answer the question” Jesse said “I hear the fair is in town”

Winnie smiled “Because that ended so well last time” She stood up next to Jesse “Lead the way”

Jesse smiled “I was hoping to stop by the old cabin, maybe we can find you some fair clothes”

“Perfect” Winnie started walking towards the cabin “You remember how to get there right?” She teased

Jesse stared at her for a second “Yes I do! It’s that way,” he said pointing into the woods. Winnie rolled her eyes and moved his hand over four inches. “It’s that way” he corrected himself.

∞∞∞

“Wow, this place is in good shape” Jesse commented walking into his family’s old cabin. Ma and Pa had moved out six years ago, and Jesse was expecting the cabin to be dusty and weathered, but it looked exactly the same as it did when he left, there was even cat food in the dish.

“That was me” Winnie admitted. She sat down on one of the kitchen chairs “I couldn’t stay away, sometimes I stay here when my house feels like too much,” A cat with furry white paws jumped on her lap and hissed at Jesse “I met your cat”

Jesse laughed “I was actually thinking about re-adopting the cat, but he seems to like you better” He reached out to pet the cat, but pulled away when the cat hissed at him “I’ll go dig through the attic”

Winnie stood up disrupting the cat “I’ll come with, I found some clothes that will fit me last time I was here”

They both ran upstairs and dug through separate drawers. Jesse dug out one of his favorite outfits that he had to leave behind, and Winnie dug out some clothes that looked similar to the fair clothes she wore last time except bigger. She was pretty sure they used to belong to Miles’ wife but she wasn’t sure and she had no one to ask.

∞∞∞

They both changed quickly and met out on the porch. Winnie was reminded of when Angus caught her and Jesse trying to leave the first time. “Hey Jesse, where did you parents and Miles go?” She asked realizing she had no idea

“Miles is teaching elementary schoolers in Vermont and I think Ma and Pa are somewhere in Maine” He guessed “You ready to go?” Jesse asked. He tried to put an arm around her shoulder but was disappointed to realize that in the last six years Winnie had gotten taller and now was three or four inches taller than him.

Winnie laughed “Sure thing shorty”

“Let’s just go,” Jesse pouted, “Maybe you can tell me what I missed?”

∞∞∞

“In conclusion I am no longer allowed within 20 feet of the Robinson’s house because I was chasing your cat and ended up on their roof at 3am” Winnie finished. It was a long walk back into town and Winnie and Jesse were making the most of it, sharing stories and experiences. Jesse told her about all the places he saw while he was gone and Winnie told him how much trouble she had gotten into. They finally had reached the fair and it looked exactly the same as last time. Winnie turned Jesse so he was facing her and held his shoulders “What are we not going to do?”

Jesse rolled his eyes “We are not going to challenge creepy guys to guess my age,” He recited “Is that really necessary”

Winnie nodded “Yes it is, now let’s get cotton candy” She took of into the maze of bright lights and carnival sounds.

After a brief debate they decided to play a beanbag toss game. Jesse as it turned out had terrible aim, Winnie on the other hand had spent enough time stuck in her room that she had pretty good aim and a large dent in her wall from throwing various baseballs and rocks at the wall and catching them when they bounced back. She won and gave the stuffed tiger she won to Jesse. On the way to get cotton candy they were interrupted.

“Winnie!”

Winnie and Jesse spun around immediately on edge “Hugo?” Winnie asked, bocking Jesse from view when he got closer “What are you doing here?”

Hugo looked around “Uh-I’m checking out the fair, I didn’t really get to see it very much last time” Jesse carefully stepped out from behind Winnie and Hugo’s eyes widened “Oh-sorry I didn’t realize you were with a friend”

“Jesse move!” Winnie whispered, trying to move Jesse out of Hugo’s line of sight “He was there six years ago” Jesse’s eyes widened in realization

“You look kind of familiar, what’s your name?” Hugo asked

“Hi, I’m Jesse” He held out his hand and Hugo shook it “It’s nice to meet you, but we really should go” Jesse said.

Winnie nodded “Bye Hugo” Winnie said pulling Jesse away. As soon as they were out of earshot she elbowed him “Why did you do that?”

Jesse shrugged, he had no idea why he introduced himself “He’s cute?”

Winnie rolled her eyes “Yes, but that was not the point”

“Let’s just enjoy the fair” Jesse said “I want cake”

They raced towards the cake booth, the awkward encounter forgotten.

∞∞∞

As the night winded down Winnie and Jesse made their way back to the old silo. They sat and watched the stars, bickering and yawning. It was 4am and Winnie knew she should be getting home. She had promised herself one night before she went back to her mother. Jesse was telling a story, apparently Miles was thinking about moving to France, something about learning the language? Jesse was mostly trying to fill the silence and not fall asleep.

Winnie leaned against his shoulder “I don’t want this night to end”

Jesse nodded “That would be nice”

“But I need to go back, my mom will be worried” Winnie said, she stood up and held out a hand to Jesse.

Jesse took her hand and stood up next to her, “It was nice to see you”

Winnie smiled “One last adventure”

“One last adventure” Jesse repeated, he reached forward to hug Winnie “Thanks for being my partner in crime”

Winnie hugged back tightly “Goodbye Jesse Tuck”

“Goodbye Winnie Foster” Jesse watched Winnie climb down the silo and start the long walk home.

∞∞∞

**_7 years later_ **

Jesse was planning to never come back to Treegap, at least for another hundred years. But when Mae and Angus decided to move back to their cabin for a few years and asked Jesse and Miles to visit he couldn’t refuse. He passed carefully through town making sure no one saw him, but stopped when he saw a glimpse of bright red hair. He ducked behind a tree and watched sadly as Winnie walked down the aisle. Jesse looked closer and recognized Hugo at the end of the aisle. They both looked happy. Even though he was losing his partner in crime he was glad Winnie had found someone she could have a real life. He left to start the long walk back to the cabin.

∞∞∞

_**94 years later** _

“Winnie Foster-Jackson,” Mae read off the headstone. The Tuck’s had decided to make a trip back to Treegap, 94 years had passed it shouldn’t have been a huge surprise that Winnie had passed. Jesse felt tears trailing down his face “Cherished wife, devoted mother, dearest grandmother…”

“Expert fisherman” Angus finished “I guess she lived the life we never could”

“May she rest in peace”

Jesse moved closer and kneeled down next to the headstone, he rested his hand on the headstone “I’ll always wonder what you did with the water”

_Reeunk_

A frog jumped in front of Winnie’s headstone and Jesse laughed when he realized it was the exact same frog Winnie had been talking to when she was seventeen. He carefully picked the frog up. “Want to be my partner in crime?”

_Ribbit!_

Jesse took that as yes and carefully helped the frog into his bag.

“You ready to go Jesse?” Miles asked.

Jesse looked around “Yeah, let’s go” He took one last look around before following Miles. “Goodbye Treegap New Hampshire”

**Author's Note:**

> Tuck Everlasting is great. Also on @musicals-musicals
> 
> Leave kudos and comments!


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